Tenant called locksmith on bank holiday

gingercordial

I'm also with the tenant on this one.  If my own front door lock broke, I'd call an emergency locksmith both for personal safety and because I need to be able to lock my door for my insurance to be valid (and I also live in a quiet, safe cul de sac).  A tenant should be able to do the same, so yes this is reasonable.

rahrah21

For sake of clarity - the discussion was ongoing around the locksmith, for the reason of there being a way of securing the front door from the inside and also a side and back door to use for access. the slide bolts are top and bottom of the door so all the comments around the property not being secure aren't relevant as it was. Hence we said after a few messages it wasn't an emergency. I just wasn't sure if we had to pay for the T's decision to call the locksmith anyway given the property was secure and they could come and go through the other 2 doors. 

GDB2222

rahrah21 said:

For sake of clarity - the discussion was ongoing around the locksmith, for the reason of there being a way of securing the front door from the inside and also a side and back door to use for access. the slide bolts are top and bottom of the door so all the comments around the property not being secure aren't relevant as it was. Hence we said after a few messages it wasn't an emergency. I just wasn't sure if we had to pay for the T's decision to call the locksmith anyway given the property was secure and they could come and go through the other 2 doors. 

Shame you didn't say this at the outset. I'm with you on this one. The property could be secured, and there was a lockable exit door.

GDB2222

comeandgo said:

Is your tenant male or female?  I’m female and if my door could not lock I would regard it as an emergency.  I think it would also invalidate contents insurance.

How much extra would you be prepared to pay, out of your own money, to fix this straight away, rather than tomorrow morning? £50? £500? 

2bFrank

At first I was with the tenant on this, but if its correct that they can secure the door with the bolts and use the side door which can still be locked, and you stated you will arrange for a locksmith at the first opportunity that is reasonable, then I think you will be fine and the cost is on the tenant for the emergency charge part.

However it totally depends on the issue with the lock, could they actually close the door, ive had it before where the locking part is extruding and you cannot actually close the door fully. we really need to know the actual issue with the door to give you a solid answer.

steampowered

chrisw said:

As a landlord, I'm also with the tenants. You could always have arranged the emergency locksmith yourself and then you could have got a couple of quotes if it's that important to you.

Exactly.

You can't just ignore it, let the tenants do it, and then complain about the cost later. If the landlord wanted to "shop around" for emergency locksmiths he needed to do that on his own time. 

Being a landlord is running a business. The landlord responsible for providing an adequate service and the upkeep of the property.

GDB2222

steampowered said:

chrisw said:

As a landlord, I'm also with the tenants. You could always have arranged the emergency locksmith yourself and then you could have got a couple of quotes if it's that important to you.

Exactly.

You can't just ignore it, let the tenants do it, and then complain about the cost later. If the landlord wanted to "shop around" for emergency locksmiths he needed to do that on his own time. 

Being a landlord is running a business. The landlord responsible for providing an adequate service and the upkeep of the property.

The OP didn't ignore it. I suggest that you read the whole thread.

theoretica

GDB2222 said:

comeandgo said:

Is your tenant male or female?  I’m female and if my door could not lock I would regard it as an emergency.  I think it would also invalidate contents insurance.

How much extra would you be prepared to pay, out of your own money, to fix this straight away, rather than tomorrow morning? £50? £500? 

It would depend on the tomorrow morning - If I needed to leave for work early in the morning probably quite a bit.  Or, in my own home, put a very much more robust (and likely screwing into/damaging the structure of the property) temporary closure as my insurance does specify locks on doors.

saajan_12

rahrah21 said:

For sake of clarity - the discussion was ongoing around the locksmith, for the reason of there being a way of securing the front door from the inside and also a side and back door to use for access. the slide bolts are top and bottom of the door so all the comments around the property not being secure aren't relevant as it was. Hence we said after a few messages it wasn't an emergency. I just wasn't sure if we had to pay for the T's decision to call the locksmith anyway given the property was secure and they could come and go through the other 2 doors. 

All this really needed to be in the OP - the way to think about it is what impact it has on the tenant if this is fixed immediately vs the next day. If the tenant is about to come in and out, with the property being secured at all times, then they can go about their life with the minimal inconvenience of walking 30 seconds around the back. That's fine temporarily and can be fixed the next day. If not, then emergency fix. 

So now what's outstanding is 
* whether one of the back or side doors is lockable from the outside
* what the cause of the damage is (tenant fault or something else ie you pay)

For the second point, you may not know until you or your tradesperson visit. You could then inform the tenant that you will send someone out at a reasonable point (emergency or next day based on the above) and if the damage is found to be their fault, then you would reclaim costs from them to either reimburse then or worst case via deposit whne they leave. 

74jax

As someone who has had a secure upvc door with really good locks and bolts broken by someone to gain entry, I'd have been really uneasy staying there. The alternative of a hotel isn't much use as it would mean I felt safe, but I'd know my belongings were not (although appreciate the LL thinks so).

I'm also a LL and no way would consider this not an emergency. Also a parent and wouldnt be happy if this happened to my DD.